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Off Season Corn Feeders #8503211 01/13/22 11:10 PM
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As the season winds down, many are shifting to off season feeding, or stopping feeding altogether.

As much as we hunt now, and feed July through January... don't know that we can afford to feed at the rates year around. Almost as much concerning fuel costs as corn!

So...... has anyone ever skipped days?

Some of our timers will allow daily schedules, such as T/Th/S feed mornings, Wed/Friday/Sunday feed evenings, etc.

I'd like to feed more, especially in Feb thru April out west... just thinking out loud.

Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8503226 01/13/22 11:32 PM
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We still have antlerless permits and the next time I hunt, I will go to morning feedings only. It would be nice to be able to feed just mid week at a couple of my setups. We are in Northeast Texas and will be keeping 1 or 2 feeders going till the deer start to leave it piled up, then let them run empty till July.

Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8503276 01/14/22 12:38 AM
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I would not skip days, just feed only once per day extra long or twice per day but cut back to smaller amount. WAG, I would also feed after dark since you are wanting to concentrate on bucks mainly. They are going to be nocturnal anyway so why not feed them and get them used to coming to the feeder. Early summer start moving the times closer to dark or daylight to prepare for hunting season.


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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8503341 01/14/22 02:13 AM
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We get hardly any feeder activity April to August so most of our feeders are not running then. We do keep 3 for hogs and we might see a deer or two on those cams once a week. To get a buck on camera eating corn those months is like winning the lottery for us.

Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8503362 01/14/22 02:34 AM
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The first question to ask yourself is why do you feed? It is to attract deer, or supplement their diet? I use corn feeders to attract deer while I am hunting. I am on two leases. In Mills County, I could start feeding several days before opener, and they would find it. On the NE TX lease, there is not as many deer, and I start feeding about a month before the season. I don't care to spend money on corn all year, when I am not hunting. I have read some very detailed articles on managing whitetail deer. The articles I read said it can have a negative effect, because it is introducing more food than the natural habitat can support. There are most likely other articles with an opposing view. Good luck what ever choice you make.

Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8503497 01/14/22 12:43 PM
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Originally Posted by sig226fan (Rguns.com)
As the season winds down, many are shifting to off season feeding, or stopping feeding altogether.

As much as we hunt now, and feed July through January... don't know that we can afford to feed at the rates year around. Almost as much concerning fuel costs as corn!

So...... has anyone ever skipped days?

Some of our timers will allow daily schedules, such as T/Th/S feed mornings, Wed/Friday/Sunday feed evenings, etc.

I'd like to feed more, especially in Feb thru April out west... just thinking out loud.



I usually will not skip days
Simply turn them down to a much lower feeding amount.
I was feeding 16-18 seconds during the season and have turned it down to 12. Next trip back it will get turned down to 6 or 8 and then in late February it will go down to just 4 or 5 and only be feeding 150-200 lbs/month.


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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8503649 01/14/22 03:41 PM
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We're so dry in Mills county, there is NOTHING for them to eat. I have a ton of deer and many new bucks hammering my corn feeder as everybody around me quit feeding. I hate to lay out the $ but without the ability to take out a bunch of mouths I have no idea when to stop.


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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: ILUVBIGBUCKS] #8503662 01/14/22 03:53 PM
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Originally Posted by ILUVBIGBUCKS
Originally Posted by sig226fan (Rguns.com)
As the season winds down, many are shifting to off season feeding, or stopping feeding altogether.

As much as we hunt now, and feed July through January... don't know that we can afford to feed at the rates year around. Almost as much concerning fuel costs as corn!

So...... has anyone ever skipped days?

Some of our timers will allow daily schedules, such as T/Th/S feed mornings, Wed/Friday/Sunday feed evenings, etc.

I'd like to feed more, especially in Feb thru April out west... just thinking out loud.



I usually will not skip days
Simply turn them down to a much lower feeding amount.
I was feeding 16-18 seconds during the season and have turned it down to 12. Next trip back it will get turned down to 6 or 8 and then in late February it will go down to just 4 or 5 and only be feeding 150-200 lbs/month.


This is a prime example of how you can't talk about specific number of seconds to run a feeder. During season we run 6 seconds each day which equates to about 250-300lb a month and would sometimes result in spoilage. I know it's a little off topic but it's a good example.

This time of year I cut down corn feeding and focus on protein. We still have good browse, so 600lb of protein will last 2-3 months. Also, the bucks are the only ones that go for the protein so there is good/bad to that -- if you're targeting bucks it's effective and efficient. If you want to provide nutrition to does as well then you'll miss it a lot in a penned setup with higher feed tubes

Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8503979 01/14/22 09:52 PM
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we try to keep the protein full but will pull back on the corn some. especially in the hot months it seems like the quail eat more of the corn than anything else.


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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8508505 01/20/22 02:13 AM
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Over the years, we see deer develop their feeding patterns, so long as we do not change the pattern of feeding in any way, we can almost set your watch by their daily routines. For 12 years we hunted Comanche County and fed year -round, once in the mornings and evenings @ 0700 and 1600. These times were fixed year-round and never adjusted for Daylight Saving Times.

Three years ago, the Comanche lease was sold, so we moved down the road to Mills County and continued with the same feeding pattern. Kept the same feeding times and feeding year-round. The deer developed the same patterns that we saw in Comanche, to the point that they come in and stand and wait until the feeder goes off!

We feed a corn/soybean blend - STAMPEDE .In addition, feeding protein in spring and early fall. As a result, we are holding large herds 12-18 deer at all 5 of our feeders, but with a high doe concentration, as well as a good sustaining buck population with a good age variation.

Last edited by jdickey; 01/20/22 02:14 AM.

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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8508513 01/20/22 02:26 AM
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Feed year round just cut back on the time the feeder runs. Going to try cottonseed this year, may change the amount of corn we are feeding.

Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8508533 01/20/22 02:53 AM
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Feeding or baiting? Two different things. Feeding is a food source that, in the right amount and quantity can improve their survival and health. Baiting is a food source that is preferred and not normally available in quantities in their habitat.


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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8508537 01/20/22 02:57 AM
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Lemme guess...you come here to teach. nidea


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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8508564 01/20/22 03:36 AM
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Yeah LFL may need to mellow a bit. Over analysis overload.

Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8508693 01/20/22 01:15 PM
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Put you in a couple of free choice ton feeders and have it delivered. Moderators make plenty cash... grin


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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8508697 01/20/22 01:23 PM
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Even with our relatively mild winters, there's little question supplemental feeding helps keep pregnant does in better health and bucks during their early period of antler development when it's needed most. As other's have commented, deer will let you know when levels of natural browse, which is always their preference, have reached the point where supplemental feeding should be adjusted or even no longer necessary.

IMHO, this sounds like something where game cameras would be useful by allowing you to track how the deer react to whatever changes you decide to make. Definitely nothing wrong with thinking outside the box, especially when it's tied to cost vs benefit.

Depending on your setup, I would be interested to know if skipping days has any impact on how often hogs hit your feeders.

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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8508729 01/20/22 02:01 PM
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How will they hunt if you have gravity feeders available 24-7?


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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8508739 01/20/22 02:08 PM
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At the end of the season, we fill up all the corn feeders and then set them to feed at 9 or 10 PM on a reduced time. We do have free choice protein available and consider the corn as an additional attractant. We feel them up again in Labor day.

Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: shooterwalter] #8508795 01/20/22 03:24 PM
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Originally Posted by shooterwalter
How will they hunt if you have gravity feeders available 24-7?

The same as they do if you don't in some cases. Deer feed when they are hungry not when you want them to even with corn feeders. Ranches I hunt or managed fed protein 24/7/365. In South Texas free choice protein is a magnet for bucks in October when they are bulking up for the rut. Had one ranch think that the deer were nocturnal due to free choice protein on their LF ranch. They decided to quit protein late Oct(which I totally disagreed with). By Thanksgiving they were not seeing nearly as many deer as before. They then put protein back in the feeders immediately after Thanksgiving right before the rut. Deer were everywhere again. Cooler temps, rut and feed in all the feeders made a huge difference. That was 20 yrs ago and they still feed year round.


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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8509226 01/20/22 11:37 PM
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Run 5 feeders with corn and some milo from September 1st to end of season. 2 large capacity feeders are filled with 90% corn with milo. Output lowered and run till empty. about 3 months With draught this year threw the 2nd half. Want to afford some nutrition to any wildlife that may have a need particularly my resident deer.

Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8510652 01/22/22 04:48 PM
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During the season, I run my corn feeder 5 seconds in the morning and 5 seconds in the evening.

I put 5 bags of corn in it (400 lb feeder) last weekend, and dropped to 2 seconds in the morning, 3 seconds in the evening. I'll leave it like that until I go back for turkey season. Then I'll adjust to feed once in the evening for 3 seconds. Until early August.


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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8510973 01/23/22 01:53 AM
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We stop corn and feed protein February thru end of August but protein feeder in middle of property.Not at regular feed locations


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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8523173 02/04/22 10:38 PM
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Thank you all for your input.

As for feeder times, as noted, it varies. Some of our last remaining older feeders, take 10 seconds plus to feed much at all. 10 secs on the Alamo modern feeders, will cost you a fortune in corn... , 1-2 seconds is plenty;

I agree the deer eat when they are hungry.... except when it's as dry as it is in west texas... we have does waiting at the feeders when we get there an hour plus before first light...

I'm going to try and keep a few running, mainly to test and see what happens, I like the idea of a couple of free choice feeders centrally located

Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8538226 02/22/22 06:56 PM
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Appreciate all the thoughts offered on this post. Really interesting topic of discussion.


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Re: Off Season Corn Feeders [Re: sig226fan (Rguns.com)] #8538698 02/23/22 11:43 AM
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This is my first year to feed protein. It’s in a powder form at 3 different locations. The only corn feeder that I keep filled all year is about 150 yards from the kitchen windows.


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